Blood versus Revenge

Its the 50th Anniversary of John Ford's the Searchers, and I haven't as
yet seen anyone interpret that movie correctly.
Critics continue to call it a "quintessential American story". I say it
is only an American backdrop to a real "Human story". That is because
it is about human nature, not White Americans against Indians.
People keep wanting to apply it as an abstraction of Black-White racism
in America based on the superficial note that a White girl was married
to an Indian. But this movie is not a political statement against
racism. The Commanche were not mere victims of the Cowboy, they once
ruled the southern plains with their war parties. Its not a story about
the Good Cowboy against the Bad Indian, or the Racist White against the
Good Non-White. The story is true to history in regard to this tribe.

It is a John Wayne movie whereby John Wayne is not the "Good" guy hero.
He shows the darker, but real side of humanity. Despite this movie being
Hollywood, starring an actor who played the hero in so many films, this
time he played someone real.

This film is essentially about one thing: what it means to be a traitor.

When the enemy, and it doesnt matter who the enemy is, kills part of
your family or community and takes a young girl from you as war bounty,
it will without a doubt stir feelings of revenge.
It is bound to stir these same feelings in any part of the world between
any 2 enemies. And it doesnt matter if the enemy is of the same race or
not, the same religion or not. Cowboy and Indian, Huttu and Tutsi, Serb
and Bosnian, Shiite and Sunni, und so weiter, und so weiter...

Now, if you search for years to "save" this girl, and you find in the
end that she has changed loyalty and joined the enemy, then the enemy
has been rewarded for its crimes.
This will feel like treason and this reward must be taken from them and
destroyed, the one who commits treason must be killed.
This is how the John Waynes character feels.

On the other hand, how can you kill one who is blood, who has already
suffered, only to finalize the tragedy of her life by killing her too?
This is why there must also be compassion for her.
This is how the adopted half Indian brother feels.

The adopted brother kills Scar, the Commanche kidnapper/killer.
He stops John Wayne from killing the girl.
Who is the hero of this story? What emotion wins out in the end?

Blood versus Revenge
Justice versus Tragedy
Compassion